Post-Election Gun Sales Spike

Fearing tighter laws under Obama, 12B rounds fly off shelves

(NEWSER) - Crime is down, gun control is on Obama's back burner, and Americans are buying more ammunition than factories can produce. While there are economic reasons—supply is off as the war effort eats up necessary materials—Americans have still managed to buy 12 billion rounds in the past year, up from 7 to 10 billion in a regular year, and most agree it’s for fear of tighter gun control laws under a Democratic president. More»

Obama has faith the American people can find common ground

(NEWSER) - In the months since the Tucson shootings, 2,405 people have been shot dead , a fact President Obama laments in the Arizona Daily Star . How, he writes, was “a man our Army rejected as unfit for service; a man one of our colleges deemed too unstable for studies; a man apparently bent on violence … able to walk into a store and buy a gun”? The president makes it clear that he does not want to curtail our Second Amendment rights—and notes that his administration has in fact expanded the rights of gun owners—but he writes that something must be done to “keep an irresponsible, law-breaking few … from getting their hands on a gun.” More»

Fear of backlash keeps Dems timid on 2nd amendment

(NEWSER) - Gun-rights advocates who feared that the Obama presidency would mean the end of the Second Amendment have instead found the political climate surprisingly friendly, the Washington Independent reports. The Supreme Court and state legislatures alike have awarded victories to pro-gun forces, and federal lawmakers are wary of rocking the boat. Even though Democrats hold majorities, members of Congress remember the powerful right-wing backlash President Clinton's gun control efforts fueled. More»

(NEWSER) - The man who brought an assault rifle to Barack Obama’s speech yesterday wasn’t alone. Roughly a dozen protesters were seen carrying guns, the AP reports. Phoenix police say the men didn’t need permits, and didn’t commit any crime. In fact, they say they were worried someone would try to harm the man carrying the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. “It sparked a lot of emotions,” said one detective. “We were keeping peace on both ends.” More»

Man brings assault rifle, pistol to health-care rally

(NEWSER) - President Obama's appearance at a VFW convention in Phoenix today was marked by yet another appearance of a man with a gun, the Arizona Republic reports. As separate crowds of protesters for and against health care reform rallied outside the Phoenix convention center, a man with an AR-15 rifle and pistol on his hip could be seen milling about with the pro-reform demonstrators. Asked why he was armed, the man responded: “Because I can do it. In Arizona, I still have some freedoms." More»